Typewriter ribbon package



Se t, 13, 19 5 J. L. MORELLI TYPE-WRITER RIBBON PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed y 10, 1965 INVENTOR JOSEPH MOR LL a -fi- ATTORNEYS p 3, 1966 J. 1.. MORELLI 3,

TYPEWRITER RIBBON PACKAGE Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KI/IIFIIAI y Evil/1112f U I I I I I I I I I I I I ll 25 23 fl 24 INVENTOR JOSEPH MORELLI ATTO RN E15.

United States Patent 3,272,304 TYPEWRITER RIBBON PACKAGE Joseph L. Morelli, Hartford, Conn., assignor to Royal Typewriter Company, Inc, New York, N .Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,404 1 Claim. (Cl. 197--151) This invention relates in general to a device for packaging typewriter ribbon. More specifically it relates to a typewriter ribbon package by which such ribbon may be expeditiously installed in a typewriter without soiling the typists fingers.

Ribbon packages of this general nature have been commercially available for a number of years and are structurally disclosed in such US. patents as Gray 2,873,015; Landgraf 3,008,561; Ross et a1. 3,151,724; Lambert 2,825,450; Holden 2,999,578; and Wendt 3,151,723. The well-known Royal Twin-Pak is a typical commercial embodiment of such packages that has met with very substantial acceptance. However, these ribbon packages have certain disadvantages in use. Most of them are so designed that the plastic cups which receive the ribbon spools are placed in the typewriter when the ribbon is installed. This gives rise to various operational difliculties that are bothersome to a typist and occasionally affect the quality of the copy. Difiiculties were also encountered in installing the ribbon loop in the vibrator fingers necessitating the use and consequent soilage of the typists fingers.

It is accordingly among the objects of this invention to provide a typewriter ribbon package that obviates the above disadvantages in a thoroughly practical and efficient manner. Another object is to provide a ribbon package of the above nature whereby the ribbon may be installed in the typewriter without installing the package in the spool cup. A still further object is to provide such a ribbon package wherein the cost of the throw-away portions thereof is reduced to a minimum. Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawing, wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a top isometric view of the ribbon package with the ribbon loop located above the vibrator fingers;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the ribbon package with some portions broken away and others shown in section;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the spools and a portion of the typewriter ribbon spool receiving mechanism, the spool being shown in initial installing position;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the spool partially installed; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURES 3 and 4 but showing the spool completely installed.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 the ribbon package includes a support generally indicated at 10, comprising two molded plastic plates 11 and 12 having lugs 11a and 12a joined at a break line 13. As described in detail below, these plates releasably carry, respectively, ribbon spools 14 and 15 adapted to be received on spindles such as spindle 27 (FIGURE 3) which receives spool 14 for example. The counterpart of spindle 27 (not shown) receives spool 15. Plates 11 and 12 includes integral projections or ribbon guide walls 16 and 17 (FIGURES 1 and 2) respectively over the ends of which a ribbon R may be trained from one spool to the other to form a loop L which may be fitted into the fingers of a vibrator generally indicated at 18 when the ribbon is installed in the typewriter as will be described in greater detail below.

Plates 11 and 12 may be configured as desired but preferably are of less surface area than the adjacent flanges 14a and 15a of spools 14 and 15, i.e. the plates may be provided with formed edges 11b, 11c and 12b, 12c to permit manually operative access to spools 14 and 15 during installation thereof in the typewriter. These plates 11 and 12 are very thinly molded or less) from a suitable inexpensive plastic material to hold the cost of support 10, a throw-away, to a minimum.

Plate ribbon guide walls 16 and 17 project divergently outwardly from opposed portions 11d and 12d of plates 11 and 12 respectively to form a gap G adapted to be bridged by ribbon R to form loop L.

Also integrally formed with plates 11 and 12 are guide walls 19 and 20 which, respectively with inner portions 16a and 17a of guide walls 16 and 17, form a pair of ribbon channels C which with walls 16 and 17 constrain ribbon R to form loop L to facilitate installation of the ribbon in vibrator 18. Preferably lugs 16b and 17b are provided at the bottom edges of walls 16 and 17 to support the bottom edge of the ribbon in the loop forming area while lugs 16c and are provided to guide the upper edge of the ribbon.

Vibrator 18 (FIGURE 1) includes two pairs of fingers such as fingers 18a and 18b which are transversely spaced to provide a ribbon receiving slot S which, with its counterpart on the other side of the vibrator, guides the ribbon across and behind a guide plate 21 in position to be struck by a type block (not shown).

As shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 (only support plate 11 is shown in these figures; plate 12 being identical thereto) plate 11 includes a centrally disposed, downwardly directed split post 22 which is preferably tapered and provided with a pair of friction flanges 23 and 24. Plate 11 may also include a spacer ring 25 concentric with post 22 which properly locates the plate slightly above and parallel to spool flange 14a when the package is assembled, it being noted that friction flanges 23 and 24 are spaced downwardly from the bottom of spacer ring 25. Spool 14 (so also spool 15) includes a hollow core 14b which is adapted to frictionally receive post 22, i.e., when this post is inserted in core 14b its prongs 22a and 2215 are squeezed together and its flanges 23 and 24 frictionally engage the inner wall of core 14b thus to releasably retain plate 11 and spool 14 in assembled relation.

Spindle 27 is mounted centrally of a spool cup 26 carried by the typewriter and has associated therewith conventional ribbon spool driving mechanism of no rele- Vance here. Prior to the installation of the ribbon spools on their respective spindles, the typist grasps the edges of support plates 11 and 12, and without touching the ribbon, threads the loop L into vibrator 18 between its fingers 18a and 18b and the counterparts on the other side of the vibrator. The ribbon package support 10 is then broken at line 13 and one spool 14 is received by spindle 27 while the other is received by the other spindle. Only spool 14 and its spindle 27 will be discussed. The initial installation position is shown in FIGURE 3 where spindle 27 is initially entering core 14b. In FIGURE 4 it will be seen that the top of spindle 27 has engaged the bottom of post 22 forcing the post upwardly out of core 1411 as the typi-st presses the uncovered flange 14a downwardly. In FIGURE 5 spool 14 is shown installed in cup 26 with post 22 completely ejected from core 14b with plate 11 and its counterpart plate 12 disposable. The other spool 15 is, of course, similarly received.

In such manner the several objects of my invention are attained efficiently, inexpensively and in a practicable manner.

As other embodiments of the invention are possible and as many changes may be made in the embodiment disclosed, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is .to be understood that the foregoing should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: A typewriter ribbon spool package comprising in combination a pair of ribbon spools having spool drive spindle receiving cores and coaxial flanges, a ribbon wound on one of said spools and extending to and attached to the other of said spools, and a throw-away element releasably secured to said cores and maintaining said spools in closely spaced relationship with their axes parallel during storage and handling,

said element comprising a pair of flat plates separably joined in substantially edge to edge relationship,

posts integral with and depending orthagonally from each plate, said posts having radial projections adapted to releasably lock said posts within said cores when inserted therein, thereby to hold said spools closely spaced and to prevent relative axial movement of said posts and cores during handling prior to mounting said spools on a machine,

said plates being formed so that portions of said spool flanges remain uncovered when said posts are locked to said cores,

ribbon guides depending downwardly from said plates and extending outwardly of the periphery of said spools, said guides forming a gap adapted to be bridged by the ribbon extending between said spools thus to form a loop of ribbon which facilitates insertion of the ribbon within a ribbon vibrator, the uncovered areas of said spool flanges, after the insertion of said ribbon in the ribbon vibrator, the separation of said plates, and the mounting of said spool cores on relatively widely spaced spool drive spindles, being adapted to be pressed downwardly by an operator to carry said posts into contact with said spindles thereby to forcibly eject said posts and plates from engagement with said spools.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 720,141 2/1903 Hayes 197-175 X 1,104,359 7/1914 Kidder 197151 2,302,850 11/1942 Funke. 2,825,450 3/1958 Lambert 197--151 X 3,074,545 1/ 1963 Lasher. 3,094,204 6/ 1963 Landgraf 197151 3,151,724 10/1964 Ross et a1. 197-151 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID KLEIN, Examiner.

E. T. WRIGHT, Assistant Examiner. 

